This is cool news for those of you with extra money. Google.com has officially filed for IPO. This means that at some point in the not-so-distant future you can own a little piece of Google. The registration form they filed with the SEC is available here. Some of my favorite quotes from their registration:
- “We would like you to invest for the long term, and to do so only at or below what you determine to be a fair price. We encourage investors not to invest in Google at IPO or for some time after, if they believe the price is not sustainable over the long term.”
- “We provide many unusual benefits for our employees, including meals free of charge, doctors and washing machines. We are careful to consider the long term advantages to the company of these benefits. Expect us to add benefits rather than pare them down over time. We believe it is easy to be penny wise and pound foolish with respect to benefits that can save employees considerable time and improve their health and productivity.”
- “Don’t be evil. We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served—as shareholders and in all other ways—by a company that does good things for the world even if we forgo some short term gains. This is an important aspect of our culture and is broadly shared within the company.”
Google seems like a very, very cool place to work, not to mention they have an awesome search engine. I’m sure this is going to be big news in the financial industry. I just wish I had some extra cash lying around. :)